EUSTIS – Four Lake County Fire Rescue personnel were honored for acts of heroism and bravery during the Eustis Elks Lodge 1578 annual awards banquet honoring fire and police officials.

Lake County Public Safety Chief John Jolliff named Lt. Chad Eason, Lt. Robbie Staab, Firefighter Tim Greenough and Firefighter David Manes firefighters of the year “for their dedication to duty and for risking their lives for their fellow man.”

On April 29, 2014 Lieutenants Eason and Staab rescued a victim trapped inside a burning home in Mount Dora.

The pair breached the home’s door and did a “right hand” search around the smoke-filled interior. The victim was unresponsive, wedged in a hallway on the floor between a wall and a dryer. She was covered in soot and sweat, and Eason could feel the heat from the fire emanating off of her body when he scooped her into his arms.

You can go your whole career without a rescue,” said Eason, who’s been with the department for over eight years. “Everyone is happy we saved not only a life, but also a house. There was a lot saved that day.”

On Aug. 11, 2014, Firefighters Greenough and Manes responded to reports of an RV on fire in the Dona Vista area. Under tremendous heat and smoky conditions, the two entered through a side door and immediately removed the victim from the vehicle.

“Every day our Sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, EMS employees along with municipal police and fire departments work hard to keep our residents safe,” said Chairman Jimmy Conner, who was the keynote speaker at the banquet. “They are highly trained, highly qualified and perform at a very high level which is the primary reason Lake County is a wonderful place to live. We are grateful for their dedication. I also want to thank the Eustis Elks Club and President Ron Locke for recognizing our heroes for more than a decade.”

Lake County Fire Rescue ran more 20,600 calls in 2014. For more information about Lake County Fire Rescue’s operations, contact Lake County Fire Rescue Public Information Officer Chief Jack Fillman at 352-343-9458.